Beeping. That was the only sound that was recognized at first. It was in a slow rhythm that matched a heartbeat. Slowly, other sounds began entering but they had sounded like static. The next was a buzzing noise assumedly from a nearby fan although the sickly girl could not place where it was coming from. Her vision was gone as well for a time. Everything was black before a hint of white began to wash in. After that she saw the glow of lights mixed in with the stark whiteness that surrounded her. Her body was numb and it was even a struggle just to curl her fingers. After some fighting, the girl was able to lift an arm but it would not budge more than an inch or two and it was accompanied by the sound of metal scraping against metal.
As her left arm was unmoving, she tried the right but it ended in the same result. A scraping noise and her arm falling flat to the surface she was laying on. It was soft and felt cushioned so a bed came to mind. I was in a hospital, I think I was at least. Her vision wasn't the only thing that was hazy. Her memories all felt like one giant dream. Faint flashes of a room and a man with jet black hair came to the forefront of her thoughts but everything besides was covered in fog. "Wh…" She started to talk out of habit but it resulted in a series of coughs instead. Her throat felt as if someone had rubbed sandpaper along the inner walls of it. It was scratchy and every time she tried to speak, a flurry of pain ignited inside.
As she turned, glancing around the room, the images began to come more clearly. She was lying in a bed and both of her hands were cuffed to a metal frame to hold her in place. A bright glow being cast from a hanging chandelier blinded her from directly above. She looked and saw that she was in a room, an exquisite room. The walls had elegantly patterned wallpaper and the floors had hardwood so polished and cleaned she saw the ceiling's reflection on its surface. Besides her bed there was little and less occupying her surroundings. A beeping monitor sat next to her which had wires running from it to her body. There was a mirror to the left of the bed so she could get a good look at herself lying there, helpless and bound.
Her scruffy dark brown hair had grown close to her underarms instead of the usual shoulder length she preferred as of late. Her bangs were conditioned to drape over her left eye and now was at the length to fully hide it. It had lost a lot of the sheen it once held in the last few weeks of her worsening condition. As if to not be outdone by her hair, her eyes had also seemed to dim and lose some of their color. They had been such a yellow that they almost glowed when light reflected from them. Her mother would compare it to the sun when she laid her down for bed as a child but now they were just a mockery of those. The bright yellow had paled and seemed almost sick or dead.
Her face was more gaunt as well as paler to signal her well being having faltered. She had spent a week starving herself due to a lack of appetite and a reckless loss of her life's meaning. Her past bore a heavy weight and it had all crashed down on her at once so she seemed to have shattered from the burden. The sight of her pathetic dying image caused the last few weeks to become clearer and more fresh in her mind but for the life of her, she could not remember much of the previous night. She was at home and on the floor, that much was clear. Then there was a girl and then the hospital. After that there was the black haired man and then her memory stops there. Soon some feeling began returning to her. The fingers were the first to feel the room's warmth and then it traveled up her arms before enveloping her body in the comfort.
She stayed glued to the reflection and stared into her own dim eyes. She remembered herself from before the black haired man showed his face. She was stronger and more confident. She was the Lightning Dancer. It was a name she had always despised since receiving the title in a prison known as SAO or Sword Art Online. She had been trapped there for two years and earned that name she so disliked for her fighting style. People said that she danced around her opponents wielding her unique lightning based skills. Despite her lack of enjoyment in the title it had become a part of her and followed her to Somerant Online, a game she began playing several months ago. The name began to be how she saw herself in those worlds. Strong and unwavering. Capable of anything and everything if she put her mind to it.
Someone who enjoyed life and never faltered around the people she cared about. The name started to become a different person in her eyes. It was no longer a name but a persona. It was someone she longed to be, not just in Somerant but in the real world as well. So she had tried to make that a reality and wound up failing. Her past came creeping back and it dragged her friends and family into multiple bouts of trouble. She herself had almost died twice due to her failing attempt to be someone she wasn't. In the real world the Lightning Dancer was just a sick damaged girl named Lunasara Mirahai. A nineteen year old girl with chronic nightmares and scars covering her back and right arm, all reminding her of her past failures.
The people she killed, the friends she had lost, the things she went through even after leaving that prison, all of which scarred not just her body but her heart as well. She was a broken little girl in the real world who was chasing dreams of being a strong dependent hero as if from a fairy tale. This reflection was proof of her failure to realize that dream. She was a monster trying to run from what she really was. She was a murderer and a coward rolled into one diminishing body. She saw a tear rolling down her cheek in the mirror and wiped her face on the pillow below her. A sudden sound pulled her attention from the sickly girl in the mirror. It was the creaking of a door opening and then the click of it shutting again. Footsteps echoed through the spacious room and when she looked she saw a man in black.
He wore a black suit and tie with black slacks below his waist. His hair was slicked back and had a gleam from whatever gel he had used to hold it in place. The eyes he stared down with seemed like black voids that sucked up any light that happened to be in front of them. In the glistening wetness of his eyes she saw herself reflected back at her. "A pitiful sight indeed, my dear." the man said, shaking his head in disapproval. Luna opened her mouth but no words would escape and the dry searing pain became known again. "Can't speak? That's okay this time, Lunasara. I only need you to listen right now." She tried to speak again but only hot air and a faint growl came forth. He smiled at her misery and sat at the end of the bed. He touched her thigh and ran a finger up towards her waist, causing her to squirm in hopes of getting away from his touch.
"Do not fret, I will not do anything to you. I just take pleasure in the sight of you like this. Helpless and vacant of any resistance. I doubt you have an inch of fight left in you." He took his hand away and tapped a button on his watch. Her cuffs beeped and opened, freeing her hands from their bindings. Even free, she could not move. She wanted too but there was something in his eyes that scared her more than anything she had dealt with before. They were empty and evil. Conniving and menacing. They instilled fear and obedience while looking upon you. She had never feared those eyes back in SAO but now, now was different. This wasn't a game world and she wasn't the Lightning Dancer. This was real life and she was just a damaged teenage girl.
He had revealed to her the fact that everything she had gone through in the last few months had been his doing. The red eyed man finding and attacking her at her own home. Red Eyes had tied up her parents and forced her to fight him. The scars she bore on her body, the dozen or so cuts on her back, the several on her upper right arm, the two that she bore on her face and neck, and the stab wound near her stomach which had almost killed her, all of them were from that night. All of that had happened at the black haired man's command
Now she was here, trapped and with him looking down at her. "Fox." she finally was able to mutter. He smiled more wickedly than before at the quiet and strained word. His name in truth was Giza Kushina, the CEO and owner of Kushina Technologies, but Luna knew him as Fox, one of the best info brokers in SAO. She had hired him to hide her identity and whereabouts while she was being pursued by a group of red players. With help from Clair she stopped paying Fox's price and cut ties with him except for two final meetings months after their separation. This was all due to his grudge from back then, he had admitted to her at a business party he hosted.
Her father was an employee at his company and so she was invited as a guest. During her attendance he had pulled her aside and the more he talked the more she felt her world fall from under her. SAO had been her past and at that point she was looking towards the future. She had dealt with the red eyed man, had found a new love to move on from the one she lost, and was dealing with the people she had killed. It was the final step of putting everything behind her but then he came and brought it all back. She fell and shattered and the pieces began vanishing so she would be unable to rebuild herself again. "I love that look, Lunasara." said Fox, caressing her cheek. He wiped a tear from her eye with his thumb and looked ecstatic at her situation.
"I want to see more of it but that will have to wait. There are only a few more weeks left before the game begins and I must have you strong again before that day arrives. You will live here and you will pull yourself somewhat back together. Use tape and bandages if you must, just be ready. The goal is to survive, Luna, and if you fail, your loved ones do as well. Always remember that, use it as motivation." He gently rubbed her lips with his thumb and leaned in close to her face. "I hope you have more bite than this or it will make for a boring show." He stood up and made for the door. Luna opened her mouth to speak but any words were once again burned away by the fires in her throat.
He gave one final wicked grin before leaving into the hall. HIs threat lingered on her mind as she sat there in silence. "If you fail, your loved ones do as well." She repeated it over and over again in her head. She had known his threat before but this time it felt so much more real. She felt like quitting and giving in to her darker thoughts once more but with that threat in her mind, she could not do so. She had to get up and at least act the part until he was satisfied. I am the Lightning Dancer, and if I am not, then I need to at least pretend to be. She forced her weak body up and moved to the edge of the mattress so that her feet were hovering over the floor. She was a short girl so if the bed was tall enough her feet would not touch the ground. To add to her shorter height, she also had a small figure. Her body was thin and had not grown much since she was thirteen or fourteen.
She had only grown an inch or two in the time since being trapped in SAO and that would be her final bit of growth most likely. Out of recent habit she brushed her bangs to the left which covered her left eye completely and reached for her right wrist. There was normally a black ribbon she had tied there which she used to tie her hair into a ponytail. It was another habit she began doing at some point in SAO. Clair, her lover at the time, had complimented it and ever since then, she had styled her hair that way. Now however, the ribbon was gone. She remembered that she had not tied it there before being taken to the hospital. Her hand almost felt naked without it now as everyday it had been there. It was as permanent an accessory as the chain around her neck which after checking, she realized was still there.
It bore a single silver ring on it which had the moon's phases engraved upon its surface. "I guess my hair is staying down for now." She brushed her bangs to the left again before gazing into the mirror again. "I need to pick myself up." she said, clutching onto the ring over her chest. "I need your help now more than ever." She released her grip and looked to the right where she saw a wooden armoire against the wall at the far end of the room. To the left of that was the front door where Fox had exited, to the right was a more open room that she had not seen before for some reason. Before approaching the cabinet she peeked into the larger room and saw a sofa, a coffee table sitting in front of that, past the couch was a sliding glass door that led onto a balcony. Behind the couch was the kitchen and a square dining table with four chairs, one on each side. As she went back to the armoire she saw a hallway that was past the bed she was lying in. She had been facing the opposite direction and could not look behind her to notice it before.
Down the hallway was a bathroom that had a toilet, a shower head sticking from the wall, and a sink. The only other thing was a towel rack closely placed near the shower head. "Not even a proper shower." she complained as she left the room. Once back at the armoire she opened it and saw a collection of clothes. None she recognized as hers but all of them were in her sizes. She pulled out a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of denim pants. The next thing she found was a black pair of underwear and matching sports bra. The final thing she noticed was a black ribbon tied to a hook on the inside of the door. He thought of everything it would seem. With the clothes in hand, Luna made for the shower and bathed for the first time in what felt like weeks.
When she left from under the warm water, her hair seemed softer and had more of its original sheen back. After dressing she went back and grabbed the ribbon before tying that around her right wrist like she would normally do. When she went back to the living area she noticed a book lying on the table that she had not noticed beforehand. It was a black leather bound book with a wolf embroidered in gold on the cover. When she opened it a note fell out and danced gingerly through the air before falling onto the table. "I know how much you enjoy your hobby so I implore you to continue it. I hope this sweetens your thoughts of me and if not, you can't say I didn't try." she read aloud after picking it up. She threw it back to the table and headed for the kitchen.
Her voice was coming back to her but it still burned when he spoke. She needed to drink something to wet her throat and then find food. She still felt an extreme hunger as she had not really eaten in over a week. She didn't know what the hospital did to feed her but she had not physically eaten. The fridge was stocked nearly identical to the one she had at home. Various meats for sandwiches, some cheeses to put on them as well, eggs in abundance as those were some of Luna's favorite things to eat, and a gallon of a dark colored drink. It had a label on it that read "Luna Tea". She twisted off the cap and smelt it. "Honey." she uttered. "It's the tea I make all the time." The thought of how he knew so much about her sent a shiver up her spine.
She poured a cup anyway as Clair once told her that honey was good for the throat. She needed something to ease this pain so honey it was. She made two sandwiches with both ham and cheese on it before returning to her couch. The afternoon sun was seeping in through the glass door to her right and filled the room with a comfortable warmth. "It will be summer soon." she stated. "And I'm stuck wherever this is." Outside the doors there were only trees so she presumed to be somewhere in the mountains. She saw no buildings or signs of a city around anywhere. She also noticed she was rather high up as well. Luna guessed she had been on the fourth or fifth floor of the place she was now a prisoner in.
After her meal she stood and walked out onto the balcony. Two chairs were there overlooking the tree riddled hills that stretched ahead of her. She leaned on the railing and watched the branches sway in the breeze and felt the air blowing through her hair. The feeling reminded her of Aincrad and the home she shared with Clair on the twenty fourth floor. It was a familiar feeling that she longed for ever since leaving that place. Now it was just her and the wind accompanied by the sound of rustling leaves and the chirping of birds as they flew overhead. "I needed this." she thought aloud as she closed her eyes to grow more lost in the moment.
She had been locked in her room for far too long. Looking back on it now it was clear how big of a mistake it had been, how much of a fool she was for succumbing like that. All because she knew didn't mean it was so easily rectified though. She wanted to go back to normal, she was happy for the first time in a long while before taking on the general's request in Somerant. She desired to be that version of herself again, the one she saw as the Lightning Dancer. "I have to be that again. I don't have a choice." She opened her eyes and stared longingly at the wilderness ahead. She raised her hands near her cheeks and swallowed a deep breath of air. A loud smack rang out as she slapped her cheeks and when she moved her hands, large red marks were on each side of her face.
"I need to start picking up my pieces. Too many people are counting on me now." Saying that made her almost feel better, almost. She could say all she wanted but the real test is yet to come if Fox is to be believed and at this point she had little reason to doubt his words. She stayed out on that porch until near midnight. As the day dragged on, her head became more clear and her memory of the previous day came back to her. She recalled Yumi crying into her chest, her mother scolding her, her brother taking her into his arms, and Fox drugging her. "The game will start soon." Those were the final words he had said to her that night and then she woke up here. His talk of games matched that of the red eyed man and both of them infuriated her.
"Treating life like a game. It's sickening. I will put an end to this even if I have to die to do it. I pray that it doesn't come to that though." After taking in one last breath of the clean night air, she turned and headed for her bed. There was no visitor to wake her in the morning. The only thing there was, was herself. She was alone here and would remain that way she suspected until Fox's game started. I might even be alone for that. He had revealed no details other than the fact that she had to survive, but it was what she had to survive that baffled her. Is it going to be another SAO or is he going to throw me into that forest? What game am I supposed to be playing? An answer never came to her no matter how much she thought about it.
The rest of the day had been spent on the balcony, the same as the last. The room offered her little else to do besides exercise and think. Even exercising had its limits. She wanted to run and to climb but her door was locked from the outside preventing her from leaving and the room offered little space for running. She made do by pushing the tables and furniture around into an obstacle course of some kind and would run it over and over before getting tired. Afterwards she would push the things back to their proper places and make for her seat on the porch. By the time a week had passed she was feeling more like herself despite her solitude. She had a goal and she needed every bit of strength she could muster to accomplish it. Her thoughts always turned to the best possible way to end this with Fox.
Every time she pondered it, her thoughts went to his death. It wasn't pleasing that it came to mind but she couldn't help imagining it. "If you think like that, how are you any different than them?" That was a question Clair had asked her a long time ago when she thought about hunting down her pursuers. Her mind went straight to killing them. It didn't make her happy then either and she had said it would only happen if it was necessary but Luna knew the truth of her words. Luna wanted them dead, it was the fastest way to end that struggle. Either they died, or she did, there would have been no other result. "I'm sorry Clair but if I have to do it to finally end all of this, I will." she said as she clutched tightly to the moon engraved silver ring.
Holding it gave her strength and courage and made her feel closer to the friend she had lost. That friend had been a support for Luna, she was her other half, the thing that made her complete. The person that saved my life more than once. That was something Luna never let down. She was always being saved and never got the chance to return that favor. When Clair needed her most, she couldn't reach her and that had cost the blonde girl everything. Luna tried moving on but that bitterness always came back in dreams or daydreams, it was never far from her mind. Besides that regret she had mostly come to terms with her loss. She had Yumi now to help with that burden as well. Clair had wanted her to find another person that made her smile and so she did.
As if by fate, she found Yumi at the dojo Fox had somehow made Luna go to. They met there and Luna forced herself into Yumi's life much in the same way Clair had done to her. Yumi's father passed away some time ago and her mother wound up owing money to some gang or something, Luna wasn't sure on the details. One day Luna saw the dojo instructor, who was Fox's younger brother, tormenting Yumi. He was beating her and would have had his way with her had Luna not intervened. They fought and the two girls came out victorious and with only some minor injuries. All of it was connected. Yumi, the instructor, Fox, everything. It was all him, and me. Fox was my ghost and I pulled her in even more. I saved her that day but now she is in a much worse danger due to my actions.
That too was another bitterness she had to swallow. All of it didn't just go back to Fox, it was all connected to her decisions during SAO, every one of them has been coming back one at a time to haunt her and it pulled those around her in as well. "I have far too many regrets for someone so young." she murmured to herself as she let the chilly night wind rustle her messy hair. She swept her bangs to the left again before returning back inside. After another couple of days she had finally been feeling stronger again. She was finally becoming whole once more. Her nightmares hadn't stopped completely since coming here but they had been easing up. It happened every other night instead of every night now and soon she hoped to have them even less. She was trying her hardest to suppress her bad dreams.
Luna had finally found a way to do so and it seemed to be helping. "I need to accept what I am and instead of running from it, I need to fix it." Her dreams were haunted by the ones she's lost or killed. They shouted words such as "Monster!" and "Murderer!" repeatedly and she would always deny it. This last week she had been agreeing with it. I have killed, thus I am a murderer. There was no doubt a better solution to those. I do think of killing people and sometimes I enjoyed it when I was in Somerant, thus I am a monster. People did die because of me and others have been hurt as a result. I am no hero, I am a monster and a murderer. She would tell herself that every morning when she woke from a nightmare. It was the only thing she could do. In the hospital she decided it was time to stop running from her fears and problems. She had to be the person she wanted to be by any means necessary and if that meant accepting her demons then so be it.
She thought of Clair as a guide instead of a lost friend, Trail was now a lesson learned instead of just a mistake made. The feral image of herself that she had seen in the red eyes of her hunter back in Aincrad, her teeth bared, her face contorted with fury and murderous intent, her eyes blinded by anger, now that was a part of her instead of a stranger that she didn't recognize. That is me and I need to accept it instead of suppressing it. Over the next week she had done all of this to the best of her ability. By the first week of May she was a thousand times better than that husk from her first day here. Her eyes had regained their color and her body had regained most of her strength. She was filled with a fire again, a desire to finally leave SAO behind her for good. Luna thought it was Clair or Red Eyes that marked the end of her past but now it was Fox.
The person she expected least of all was the final ghost she had to conquer before she was free for good from that place. I beat all of them, I can beat this one too. It was early morning and Luna was on her balcony per usual with a hot cup of her honey tea grasped in her hands. "Good morning, my dear." said a voice from behind her. "Fox, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." she stated, keeping her eyes towards the outstretching wilderness. "I wanted to see your condition. You sound better." "Don't act like you care." Luna snarled. "Fine then, I won't pretend. I don't care, not for your sake at least. I need you to be healthy for my viewers, the game begins very soon."
"You keep mentioning a game, what is it? What viewers?" "Come now Luna, you don't expect me to give that answer so easily. You need to wait just like everyone else here." Luna's eyes widened at those words. "Here? There's other people here?" she questioned. "Of course, I need more participants for the game so I collected many other VRMMO players, some of which may even know you." "From Sword Art or Somerant?" "Both perhaps, I've divulged enough for now. Here, I also came to give you this." Luna didn't turn to look but she had heard him place it on the chair behind her. "I'll take my leave, continue enjoying your stay and remember, I'm always watching." Luna scoffed. "I hope you enjoy the show then." she growled. "I have and I will continue to do so. Good day." She heard his steps grow more silent and then her door close and lock.
Only when she was certain he was gone did she turn to see his gift. A black tablet sat on the chair with silver letters engraved on the back. "Kushina Tech." she read before flipping it back and tapping the screen. It illuminated and a picture of Yumi appeared with the word "calling" underneath it. "Calling? It can't be…" "Hello." she heard Yumi say. Luna nearly dropped the tablet as she covered her mouth with one hand. She almost fell to her knees as tears rolled down her face. "Luna? Is that really you?" She could see Yumi on the screen looking at her and talking. "Are you okay? Where are you?" "Yumi." she managed to say. "It's really you right?" She saw Yumi nod and noticed glistening in her sky blue eyes.
"Are you okay, Luna?" Luna nodded. "I'm so much better now." Luna didn't know what to say besides that. She wanted to say so much. How sorry she was, how much she missed her, how much she loved her. "Where are you?" Yumi inquired. "I don't know but that doesn't matter. How have you been?" Luna asked. "I-I've been okay I guess." Yumi replied. Luna knew it was a lie right away, she could see it in her eyes. She gave a knowing leer at Yumi causing her to look away. "I have been living as best I could." Yumi then said. "I'm sorry Yumi, I didn't want this to happen. If I could I would run right back to you this second." "But Giza has plans for you right?" Luna nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'm assuming he gave the tablet to you." "Yeah, his gift apparently. I didn't mean to get you involved Luna, this was my problem." Luna was confused by that. "Yours?"
"He was the person my mother owed money to. When you intervened at the dojo, you got dragged into this. I apologize for that." Luna laughed. She didn't mean to but it couldn't be helped. "I thought I would be apologizing to you for this. I knew Fox back in SAO, this was my doing from the start. You had nothing to do with it, he would have got me at some point. I kept it from you and for that I'm sorry as well. He talked with me at the party and that's why I…" She couldn't say it for a second. That's where I shattered. I hit Jin, I scared Yumi, I betrayed both of them all because I was afraid. "I understand. He scared me also." Yumi said. "But you didn't yell at me or push me away." Luna said in a somber tone. "It's okay. I told you that I understand. If you recall, I did the same thing to you when we first met. I didn't want you to get hurt so I was cold to you."
Luna did remember. Every time she talked to the blue eyed girl she was yelled at or avoided completely. Yumi seemingly didn't want anything to do with her but Luna persisted and now they were as close as they could be. Luna smiled. "Yeah, you were. I'm happy you didn't stay like that." Yumi grinned. "You seem better. You're smiling and your eyes are pretty again. I like your hair like that too." Luna swept her hanging bangs and ran her hand through her growing hair. "Yeah, I've grown fond of it. I was thinking of cutting it again but it's not too bad." She heard a barking and saw Yumi looking down. "How is he?" Luna asked. "Shu's doing okay. I think he misses you though. He follows me around now, I guess it's so he still has some company." "He's such a traitor." Luna said, giggling. Yumi tilted the tablet down so Shu was on screen. Luna almost cried again at the sight of her black and white shiba.
It was a gift from her parents upon returning from SAO. He quickly became her closest friend. Everywhere she went, he followed and they would sleep together every night. While he didn't talk, he was a good listener. When Luna would talk to him on nights she couldn't sleep, he would bark back as if he understood. When she was having nightmares or couldn't sleep he would lick her face and curl up next to her. He meant the world to her, her best companion. "Hey buddy." she said, water forming in her eyes. He looked up and raised a paw at the screen. She placed a finger there and smiled. "I miss you." she said. He barked in response. "I'll be home as quickly as possible and I promise to get you a new toy when I do. I have to make up for all the lonely nights without me." Yumi raised the camera back to herself.
"You will be back right?" Yumi asked. "I plan to be. I don't have a choice but to win his game. I don't want to scare you but your life is also on the line. Yours and all the others. If I die then so will all of you. That's what Fox said at least and he hasn't given me reason to doubt him." "It doesn't scare me one bit Luna." Luna chuckled. "I wish I had your bravery Yumi. It terrifies me." "It's not bravery Luna, it's faith. I have more faith in you than I ever had in anyone. I know you wouldn't let anyone hurt me. I knew that the moment you stood up to my mother that day." "I love you Yumi. I love you so much." "I love you too. Come back to me soon okay? I'll be waiting patiently." Yumi said. Luna nodded and the call ended. She hugged the tablet to her chest and squeezed it as if it was Yumi herself. "I'll be back. I promise to come back."
Her thoughts were of Fox's game more often than not now. She knew she was not alone in this building. She knew all of them would be participants. She assumed they had all been taken much like herself. Are we all against each other then? That has to be it. Survival? He mentioned I have to survive which means we're fighting each other. Luna looked out towards the forest with heavy eyes. "I might have to kill again to make it back home. I will have to kill another person fighting for their friends and family." She grimaced at the thought but she knew it was unavoidable. "No, there has to be a way. I can't resort to killing unless it's necessary." She already felt her right hand trembling from the thought of it. "I don't know if I'll pick myself up again if I kill another person. I have to reserve that for Fox.
If I am to break from taking another life then his life would make it worthwhile." That was only as a last resort though. It would be better if any killing could be avoided. It was an ignorant thought, she knew. Ignorant and childish but I have to stand by it. "What would make me different from them?" Clair had told her the difference was her hesitation in taking a life. It was the pain she felt afterwards. It was how it had haunted her even to this day. Those were what made her different from the red players that had hunted her. Luna still didn't know if that was believable. I'm a monster and a murderer. I can't forget, I have to accept it. Luna clutched her ring and enjoyed the encircling warm breeze. The days continued passing and Luna continued her daily ventures to her balcony.
She took notice of things as her time there lengthened. She heard someone enter her room one night to change out dirty clothes and resupply her fridge. She noticed the door did not lock when they were occupying her room. She also began finding cameras hidden in places. One in the armoire to watch her sleep, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, one on the balcony, and the one that disgusted her the most was the one in the bathroom. That one she had noticed in a vent along the ceiling. She saw the glint of the bathroom light hitting the lens one day but she could not remove it. The vent was bolted in and she could not fit her hands in to grab it.
"Do you really need to watch me shower?" she asked the camera but as to be expected, there was no reply. "I hope you enjoy the show." she snarled at it after climbing back down from the toilet. "I have been and will continue to do so." she heard Fox say in her memory. The thought angered her and sent a shiver up her spine as well. She didn't like the feeling of being watched to begin with, let alone when she was in the shower or using the toilet. It didn't stop her after that point though. If he had been spying on her that whole time then she had nothing else to hide. She had thought about sneaking out on the nights her door was unlocked but it would do her little good. It would anger Fox and even if she managed to get outside she had no idea where she was. "I'm better off playing his game." she muttered one night after hearing her door click shut again.
Plus she was being watched every second of the day, he would know instantly if she left and then her loved ones would be in danger. This morning she was awoken by an alarm, one she had not set herself. It rang out from the tablet he had given her. She had it set down on the coffee table but still the loud beeping was annoyingly audible. When she took it in hand she saw the time and date. It read "7:00" and below that "May, 17, 2026". "Yumi's birthday and I'm so far away from her." Before she could put the tablet down Fox's stern face appeared on the screen. "Rise and shine, my dear. Today is the big day. You will find the door unlocked and the building is free for you to wander. I recommend you hurry it up to the cafe on the bottom floor however, we have some things to talk about.
See you soon Luna, don't make me wait for too long." At the end of his message the screen turned black and she heard the click of the door unlocking. She looked towards the door then back to the tablet before tossing it onto the table. Luna untied the ribbon from her wrist and tied her hair into a ponytail before heading towards the door. She grabbed a pen that was left with her sketchbook and gripped onto it tightly in her right hand. It was a pathetic replacement for a knife or dagger but she was stepping into an unknown place with any number of enemies so she couldn't be too careful. Having anything in hand to defend herself with made her all the more comfortable and confident as she left the room.
After opening the door she peeked around the corner expecting to see other people but the hall was empty. She could see both ends of the hallway from her doorways and on each side of the hall were several other doors. Her's was in the middle of the hall with an elevator directly in front of it. She closed the door behind her and cautiously approached the elevator. On it was a sign that read "Out of Order". "Of course." she sighed and turned to the right. Hanging from the ceiling was another sign saying "Stairs" and had an arrow pointing to either end of the hall. Luna gave a look back and then forward again before pressing on. The walls had the same elegant bronze colored wallpaper her room had and red velvet-like carpeting covered the floor beneath her feet.
While making for the right end of the hall she stopped by each door and peeked inside. They had all been unlocked and all had been empty. They all looked the same as hers and were all full of furniture to match but none of them were occupied. "There should be other people, he said as much. Where are they?" she asked herself after checking the final room on the right side. They must all be downstairs already. Luna carefully entered the stairwell with her right hand gripped tightly onto the pen. The more she held it, the more it felt familiar to her. Her hand relished in the feeling of having a weapon there. She trembled a little but whether it was from her haunting thoughts or her missing the feel of a blade, she could not tell.
At one point she thought she saw a flicker of blue and heard a chirp of lightning but Luna wrote it off as her imagination. It's just a pen and I'm just Lunasara. This isn't a game world right now. She descended and checked each floor thoroughly. Every one of them were just as empty as her own. She had gone down five floors before reaching the bottom and still there was no sign of life. There was a blinking sign that read "Cafe" and had an arrow pointing down the corridor she was standing in after exiting the stairwell. Luna followed it, prepared for an ambush should it happen. There was no attack though, the hall was as empty as the rest of the building. The place was hauntingly silent as she moved ever closer to the cafe. There were two large glass windows and in between them was the double doors that allowed entry into the room.
She saw one lone person sitting at a table inside, sipping from a cup with steam rising from the content's surface. "I tell you what, my dear, this tea of yours truly is superb. I was never a big fan of honey to tell the truth but this has won me over." Fox said as he put the glass down on a ceramic saucer. His back was to her and she held the pen by her side, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "I'm glad you like it." she said back while raising the pen. "Drop it Luna. We both know you won't stab me." "I just might. Don't sound so sure of yourself." Luna retorted. "I would love to see you try. I'm surprised you can even hold it considering the sorry state you were in after the elf." he said. "You even know about Hollow?" Luna asked.
"Hollow has been working with me for quite some time at my company. I told him to keep an eye on you in Somerant and he did an excellent job of it. I suggested the plan to the general to make up some points and told him to hire you for the job. I was hoping you would have broken after the first or the second but you made it all the way to the end. I told him to bring you as close to death as possible and then let you kill him after you snapped. I knew it would affect you and in at least that, you didn't disappoint." Luna scowled and felt the pen's clip digging into her skin as she gripped it ever tighter.
"I'm happy that I lived up to your expectations." she snarled. "I had a feeling he let me win the first time but I never thought twice about it after the second fight. He put on a good enough show to tear me to pieces so I must congratulate him." Luna said, trying to quell her rising anger. "I'll make sure to send him your regards, now, take a seat, my dear." He gestured for a chair across from him at the circular table and Luna hesitantly obliged. "Now, we should talk about the game. It starts today and I imagine you need to know the rules and how it's going to work." "What if I kill you now? Would I be able to avoid your game?" Luna asked, staring into his pitch black eyes. He chuckled and pulled a knife from his pocket. Fox proceeded to stab his hand but there was no blood, no sound of steel piercing flesh, only the sound of it stabbing into the table they were sitting at.
"This isn't…" Luna gasped but didn't finish her words. Fox smiled at her as she looked from the blade to his eyes once more. "We're not in the real world." Luna said. "Good observation. I do hope it feels real enough to you, I've spent a lot of money and a precious amount of time on this project. Me and your father both. I made a simulation that feels just as real as the real world. A world in which you will be playing my game in." He produced a duffel bag from under the table and placed it in front of Luna. She glared at it and then back to him. "Your gear." he said with a smile. "How long have I been in this world?" she asked, ignoring his words. "Just since waking up. The rest of your time here has been real. This is all just a recreation of the building you've been staying in up to this point.
Didn't you wonder why the building was empty? The other's are all in their beds, the same as you, and are currently talking to another version of me in their own cafes." "So you're not real?" Luna questioned. "I am, I made sure to meet you as the real me. You are my special guest after all, a digital copy would be less than you deserve. Now back to your gear that I mentioned before. We really need to get this underway or else the others will be kept waiting." Luna opened it and on top of the rest was a black watch. It was thin and small and had no screen or dials. In the middle was instead a black gem that resembled a diamond. "That will be very important as it will be your menu system. You tap the diamond after putting it on and a radial menu will appear. On it will be a map, your health and status, your skills and benefits, anything you may need to check is on that menu."
"Skills?" Luna looked up at him. "I gave every player a unique gift. Since I pulled people from many games I gave them weapons and one set of skills that matched what they mostly used. A person from GGO will have their favorite weapon and a skill set that matches it. A person from ALO or Somerant Online will have their most favored weapon and skill line. I gave you a 9mm pistol, a dagger, and your lightning skills. I did change your abilities in some ways however. They're not so much a skill line as they are a superpower. You now have better control over your lightning so it's not just a list of skills. You wouldn't be the Lightning Dancer without that and that would be boring if you were just plain old Lunasara." "You gave me a gun as well? I don't play gun games though." "Every player gets a sidearm depending on their fighting style. You are a close range fighter so I gave you a handgun and a knife. You will also find a belt with a holster and sheath on the back of it just because I know that's where you like to keep your weapons.
I also have given people a special piece of equipment that will never fail to block bullets. In there you will find a hooded jacket that should be your favorite size. Even the hood will block a shot though it will make your head ring and maybe even knock you out so I advise avoiding those shots. Everything will affect you as it does in the real world, you will bleed, scar, and die should that fate befall you. Your health bar is only as big as it would be in the real world. If you take a fatal wound then you will die. Although there are some players that have a heal spell as they used healing magic in their game. I thought that would make it more interesting.
Your inventory will only be however much you can carry on your person. To sum up this information, think of it as real life with some added benefits. You are the real you but can also use lightning. Onto the final thing you need to know about for now, you have two different kinds of points. One is experience, you can get this by surviving and fighting and just playing the game. Every person has a level and when that raises you get a skill point. They can be used for various things through the watch's menu. The next kind of points are just simply called survival points. You can get these by mostly the same way except these can be lost or taken.
You can also steal these from your opponents by tapping your watch to whatever device they have, by harming them, or by simply killing them. These points can be used to get you special benefits such as first aid supplies if needed, more ammo for your firearm, and some other things that you will find as you search through the shops. Another thing they can be used on are bounties. A player can set a bounty on another and when completed the points are transferred from the contractor to the assassin." While he was explaining the systems Luna was delving through the bag. She pulled out the belt and weapons as well as two magazines for her pistol. Then she pulled out a black parka that was slightly too large for her but it was not all that heavy.
Then she removed a white tank top and a pair of black cargo pants as well as a pair of black combat boots. "Your attire, my dear. The clothes will suit you better out there in the wilderness." "Is there anything else I need to know? How do I beat the game? When will I know I won?" "You win by surviving. Not everyone has to die, hell, nobody has to die technically. There might even be multiple winners but not many. The winner is judged by their survival points. You get enough, you win. I will not disclose the amount right now, I want it to be a surprise. However, I want you to know, to get the required points without killing will be damn near impossible. The most surefire way will be to take them from other players. On the watch you will see a leaderboard that will display the people with the most points and whether they have a bounty on them or not.
You will not know their location though, that is unless you spend points to have their location revealed to you for a time. I will let you know when you reach the required points." "If I don't have to kill then I won't." Luna stated. "That's fine if you refuse to kill for points but you are the only person I'm being honest with. Everyone else will think it unconditional for their victory and if they come after you then they will be coming for blood. Keep that in mind, my dear. That's all you need to know for now so I say we get this game started. I will keep in contact periodically for updates and to answer questions if they so arise. When you're ready you can leave through that door and you will be transported to your starting location." Luna looked where he nodded to and saw a door behind her, glowing white as it formed from thin air.
"I will win this and I will stop you." she said, staring back at him with eyes full of determination. He smirked at her words. "I do hope so. I've given you plenty of incentive as it stands and I offer you one more reward. If you win then I will give you evidence for every crime I committed and it will be yours to do with in any way that pleases you. I will also give you the option to kill me would you desire it. I am as much a part of this game as you. If you die, then you lose everything, I will put the same stakes on this wager to make it more entertaining." "Before I leave, I have one more question. You mentioned an audience. What were you talking about?" Fox snickered. "Your friends and family have access to the program of course. They can watch every bit of it. Them and also my own personal group of watchers that have a lot of money bet on the contestants. Make no mistake Luna, I have a lot of money riding on you to win this. Go into this knowing you have my confidence. Go ahead and change as well, you should do so before more than I am watching."
Luna grimaced and stood. She pulled her long sleeved shirt off and tossed it to the ground before undoing the button and zipper on her jean pants. She quickly pulled on the other clothing. The pants stopped and hugged tightly above her ankles so that a bit of skin was visible between them and her boots. The shirt was a good size and snuggly clung to her body. She strapped on the belt and slid the weapons into their appropriate spots. The pistol's holster sat just below her knife's sheath on the back of her waist. Next was the boot which slid on easily and then she tightly laced them. There were four slots for pistol magazines on the front left side of the belt so she slid the two she had into them. Finally she pulled the black jacket on which draped almost to her knees on her. It was thick but not heavy or hot to wear. She still felt just as cool as she had before shrugging it onto her shoulders.
The bag was now empty and she proceeded to the door. Luna gave one last furious glance to the conniving fox and he waved at her in return. "Best of luck, my dear." he said. She scoffed and entered through the door.